Varieties of Capitalism and its Contributions to the Study of Development in Latin America

La literatura sobre variedades de capitalismo ha impulsado significativamente la investigación en economía política comparada a nivel global, y ha ido en aumento en América Latina como una manera de comprender los problemas y alternativas del desarrollo. Dadas las crecientes críticas, cabe preguntarse ¿cuáles —si es que existen— son sus contribuciones al estudio del desarrollo en la región? Revisando la adaptación de esta literatura a América Latina, y considerando críticas y limitaciones, argumentamos que ésta ofrece tres posibilidades significativas para impulsar el estudio de las alternativas del desarrollo latinoamericano: primero, abre nuevos frentes de investigación en políticas públicas comparadas; segundo, permite revitalizar viejos debates sobre el capitalismo regional; finalmente, vuelve a poner a la región en el centro del estudio sobre el capitalismo contemporáneo y su devenir.The literature on varieties of capitalism has significantly advanced the research on comparative political economy globally. In Latin America, this has been cited increasingly as a way to understand the development problems and alternatives for the region. Now, given the growing criticism, ¿which —if at all— are its contributions to the study of development in the region? In reviewing the adaptation of this literature to Latin America and considering its criticisms and limitations, we argue it offers three ways of advancing the study of Latin American development. First, it opens new research avenues in comparative public policy; second, it allows a revitalization of old debates on regional capitalism; finally, it puts Latin America back in the study of contemporary capitalism and its future

La Continuidad del Neoliberalismo en Chile

Desde la aplicación de la terapia de shock dirigida por Augusto Pinochet y sus Chicago Boys, Chile se transformó en un caso ejemplar para el estudio del neoliberalismo. A pesar de las correcciones introducidas a partir del regreso a la democracia, y contrario a una retórica que enfatiza el carácter reformista de los gobiernos democráticos de centroizquierda, Chile ha mantenido en lo fundamental su modelo económico basado en la herencia neoliberal de la dictadura militar. En este artículo, reviso los factores político-económicos que ayudan a explicar la experiencia de continuidad neoliberal en Chile desde los gobiernos de la Concertación, y poniendo particular énfasis en los gobiernos del "giro a la izquierda" de Ricardo Lagos y Michelle Bachelet. Para analizar la experiencia chilena, en este artículo construyo una explicación holística basada en los tres factores típicos que se utilizan en la economía comparada, ideas, instituciones e intereses, como los tres pilares de una explicación del neoliberalismo y su continuidad, y ofrezco una propuesta teórico-metodológica para observar empíricamente la operación de cada pilar

Yo estaba perdida y en el EME me encontré

Como es bien sabido, la pregunta por los procesos de conformación de las identidades es un acuciante tema de interés para las ciencias sociales y humanas contemporáneas y, en sentido estricto, para los hombres y mujeres que hoy habitan este planeta. El artículo de Patricia Madariaga Yo estaba perdida y en el EME me encontré, se adentra en la manera como se conforman las identidades individuales y colectivas desde la experiencia de la militancia en un grupo guerrillero, el M-19, y es una ventana innovadora para mirar tanto el conflicto colombiano y sus actores, como la construcción de identidades en contextos complejos.Introducción. El EME más que un grupo político siempre fue como una manera de ser : rasgos fundamentales de una construcción colectiva. Eso de andar juntos peleando la vida, une : el M-19 como comunidad emocional. En la guerrilla ser mujer es un esfuerzo doble : identidad de género en el contexto de la guerra. Nos quedamos huérfanos : reconfiguraciones de la identidad tras el abandono de las armas. Puede que nosotros no hayamos ganado siempre, pero por lo menos hemos puesto eufórico al país en más de una ocasión : consideraciones finales. Bibliografí

Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm ligation after orthotopic liver transplantation-a report of 7 cases

Pseudoaneurysm (PA) is a rare but life-threatening complication of liver transplantation. The authors present their experience on 7 patients treated by ligation of a post-OLT PA. Hepatic artery ligation or embolization was performed from 10 to 70 days after liver transplantation. Of the seven patients, four survived, one developed a biliary stricture, treated by percutaneous ballon dilatation, two died of a complication not related to treatment, and one died of multiple organ failure. © 1992 by Williams & Wilkins

Bringing Development Back into (Economic) Sociology: Andrew Schrank Interviewed by Felipe González and Aldo Madariaga

Andrew Schrank (Olive C. Watson Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs at Brown University) is one of the few academics with a true interdisciplinary trajectory and an exceptionally wide variety of interests in economic sociology and adjacent fields working on Latin America. Although he defines himself as an organizational sociologist, Andrew has held positions in both sociology and political science departments and has written about issues ranging from supply chains to foreign investment and labor standards, from healthcare to industrial policy and urban studies, and from varieties of capitalism to the role of culture in development, doing both broad comparative work and more focused case studies of small Mesoamerican countries like the Dominican Republic. Andrew co-authored the article that became the manifesto for the re-foundation of Latin America’s political economy tradition in what is now the Red Economía Política America Latina (REPAL) and is currently working on a book on economic sociology and development. Andrew agreed to talk about his views on the discipline, the challenges of interdisciplinarity, and his focus on Latin America. This is the result of a deeply engaged discussion over a Skype conversation and several e-mail exchanges where he calls for a return to sociology’s early motivation of studying societies through the lens of development and claims that “what we need is an economic sociology that takes Latin America seriously.” We thank Andrew for his generosity in sharing his thoughts with us

Hepatic resection and transplantation for peripheral cholangiocarcinoma

Background: Recent publications have questioned the role of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in treating advanced or unresectable peripheral cholangiocarcinoma (Ch-Ca). Study Design: We reviewed our experience with Ch- Ca to determine survival rates, recurrence patterns, and risk factors in 54 patients who underwent either hepatic resection or OLT between 1981 and 1994. Liver transplantation was performed in patients with unresectable tumors (n = 12) and in those with advanced cirrhosis (n = 8). There were 33 women (61%) and 21 men (39%), with a mean age of 54.3 years. The median followup period was 6.8 years. Prognostic risk factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Mortality within 30 days was 7.4%. Overall patient and tumor-free survival rates were 64% and 57% at 1 year, 34% and 34% at 3 years, and 26% and 27% at 5 years after operation. Thirty-two patients (59.3%) experienced tumor recurrence. Univariate analysis revealed that multiple tumors, bilobar tumor distribution, regional lymph node involvement, presence of metastasis, positive surgical margins, and advanced pTNM stages were significant negative predictors of both tumor-free and patient survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that positive margins, multiple tumors, and lymph node involvement were independently associated with poor prognosis. When patients with these three negative predictors were excluded, the patient survivals at 1, 3, and 5 years were 74%, 64%, and 62%, respectively. Conclusions: Both hepatic resection and OLT are effective therapies for Ch- Ca when the tumor can be removed with adequate margins, the lesion is singular, and lymph nodes are not involved

On the origin of thigh-frequency radiation in experimental earthquakes

We monitor dynamic rupture propagation during laboratory stick-slip experiments performed on saw-cut Westerly granite under upper crustal conditions (10-90 MPa). Spectral analysis of high-frequency acoustic waveforms provided evidence that energy radiation is enhanced with stress conditions and rupture velocity. Using acoustic recordings bandpass filtered to 400-800 kHz (7-14 mm wavelength) and highpass filtered above 800 kHz, we back projected high-frequency energy generated during rupture propagation. Our results show that the high-frequency radiation originates behind the rupture front during propagation and propagates at a speed close to that obtained by our rupture velocity inversion. From scaling arguments, we suggest that the origin of high-frequency radiation lies in the fast dynamic stress-drop in the breakdown zone together with off-fault co-seismic damage propagating behind the rupture tip. The application of the back-projection method at the laboratory scale provides new ways to locally investigate physical mechanisms that control high-frequency radiation